Uprint chip/dongle trading for cheap material reloads

i'm looking for Uprint owners that want to save some money and reload their spools.

We simply would trade the used chips or dongles that come with Stratasys spools.
(little red molded plastic part that the filament runs through)

Uprints will recognize the chips they've previously printed with and dissallow reuse/reloading beyond about 33 cubic inches.
Those same chips work/appear new, inside any other machine, because that machine hasn't logged that serial number yet.

Bonus: This allows colored ABS to be run in a first gen Uprint, which is locked to ivory only.
Simply use a fresh ivory chip and the spool reloaded with ABS color of your choice.
The chips that come with Uprint Plus colored spools will not run in a first gen Uprint.
Only ivory chips work in the older machine, but the Plus machines can run any chip.

I'm envisioning a trading group of Uprint owner/users, where we send 5 or 10 chips between eachother.

Anyone interested, please contact me at designsbydave@sbcglobal.net or PM me here.

If you know a Uprint owner, please turn them on to the idea, in case they don't read RepRap.

@davew_tx: take an image of the hard drive from your machine before you use the chips, then after you used the chips just write the image back to the hard drive and your back in action.

Are you sure there is no data being written to the eeprom(dongle).....every other stratasys machines does...

there may be and some recent Hack a Day reading has found that.

the exchange idea simply works. It uses the mail system, which is easier for me than imaging a linux HDD.
The risks of bricking a machine are there and should not be dismissed casually.

any chance you can simply re-flash the chip from the spool?

I don't know exactly, but flash it with what?
it's encrypted so without the key, no one knows what is contained in the chip.
the machine is expecting a very specific answer to the inquiry it gives the chip.

I see that Bolson has a solution for the Dimension machines, but not Uprint.

the swap idea is easy. Just need some participants.

I like your idea of swapping

I was hoping someone had figured out a way to reprogram the chip

if the chip is anything like what is commonly used it's probably a 24lcXXX of some kind, there are pretty easy to reprogram with a pickit2 or 3

You can read and write to the the eeprom using hyperterminal from the Diagnostic port on the back of the machine.

Look on the controller CD that came with your machine, install maracaEX. Go to the install directory and look for a PDF that says controler help, in that doc you will find the hyperterminal commands for the machine.

The eeproms are DS24XX based.

I guess that controller CD is a recent addition, I only have 2 CDs, and neither has maracaEX.

you make it seem easy, but I believe it's more complicated.

One CD has the catEX software, and the second is the controller CD that has the web update utility for the FW....open the controller CD using "my computer" and browse for it.

It might be in a folder called gifts, or you could always call the reseller and ask them for MaracaEX so you can put your CMB files on the machine.

Could someone please upload an image of the Controller CD to somewhere? It didn't come with our machine either and I imagine that asking for it could be a little suspect. Thanks again.

With the chip trading idea, where would we get cheaper, compatible ABS spools from?

Cheers

I run filament from onlinefilament.com and makerbot. [www.onlinefilament.com]
both have looked great.
Just tried the ABS of course.

I save my chips after the ivory runs out, then run them with other materials until the machine denies that chip completely.
The machine will say 0% left for a few hours.
I get about 3 cu in or more from every chip.
I have also just set aside the ivory spool and used a color in it's place for the full 33 cu in.

I believe having the disc is not the end-all to hacking into this.

To note: you have to transfer the ABS onto a Uprint spool, but it only take a couple of minutes if you set up a broom handle to spin the new spool and use the cartridge can to hold the Uprint spool.


Also save the black support chip/dongles for trading.

Every once in a while, a 10 lb support material spool shows up on Ebay for real cheap.
Those big spools were used in the old Maxum machines.

there are also ABS deals on those spools, especially at 10lbs each.

Email me and we can talk about the swapping.

John,

Are you there? I've sent some emails.

Dave

Does this swapping scheme work with the HP Designjet 3D printers which are I believe a rebadged Uprint. What about support materials are they also "use once" chipped?

Well, this swapping scheme does not work.
I've tried with the help of a fellow Uprint owner and ours both report full chips.

We need someone that has a 1 wire chip programmer interface to join in.

you have managed to bypass the chip 3d hp?
I have the same need

So far no one has a sure cure for bypassing the dongle in the uprint plus. But if anyone is interested in saving on the model build platforms. You can reuse the same platform over and over again by simply taking acetone put it on a rag and wipe the surface 2 or 3 times in each direction. I have used the same model base for over a hundred models. It is actual the first and only base that I have used out of the case.

I can confirm the previous post about re-using the model build platforms.

We used lab. grade ethanol to clean ours after enquiring why models where coming unstuck from the base during printing and finding out they were supposed to only be used once!
acetone / ethanol - same principle.

Hi all. We read all post an understand that
The HP 3dprinter chip can be reused in other printer, Evidently the small printer can't read de chip from big HP printer)
How to control the chip does not return to a printer who had been before? Some years agou Bolnson have problems because recycled chips and sent to other users, finally coincided
The uPrint have different HP 3Dprinter chip that can not be exchanged or even original

Can use de ABS Material from "onlinefilament", for sample, but the parts surface has the same finish as the ABS + from the official the provider?
As always the problem is the soluble support .material

In dimension 3d printers, have made ​​it into the disk and delete the record that identifies the chip has been before the machine, eliminating the problem of the chip.
But few users will want to get their hands on the machine,

regards

I've never quite understood the whole Up! concept together with reprappers, if you buy an Up and you are a member here, why make such a difficult workaround..? Why not just put in a sanguino and change the stepper drivers?

Is this very difficult to do with an Up?

Ohmarinus, the discussion is about the Stratasys uPrint, and not the PP3DP Up! printer - two very different animals!

Hugo1a, the EEPROM used in the uPrint (and HP branded versions thereof) is MAC protected. Unlike the EEPROMS used in the various P-class machines, you can't re-write the uPrint cartridge EEPROM without knowing the encryption key. The 3DS Cube uses the same MAC protected EEPROM (though obviously an entirely different data storage layout).

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[haveblue.org]

@Ohmarinus I don't think they're talking about the UP Printer?

Ben

Haha, ok my mistake Excusez moi!

I'm still receiving requests for swapping, about 1 per week, from all over the world.

My reply is always something about how there is no swapping that works and that Bolson Materials might be a good source. I'm not aware that they've solved it yet though.

Looks like ABS and ABS+ eeproms are available here on ebay.uk

[www.ebay.co.uk]

So... Since Different machines see empty dongles as brand new based on a serial number log... Shouldn't it be possible to delete the log of serial numbers from the machines memory so as to make the machine think it has a brand new serial number? Or am I thinking about this incorrectly?

from what we guess.

different machines do not see the unfamiliar dongles as empty. they read them and log the serial number and the amount of use.
the dongle stores the fact that it has been used a certain amount. we're guessing 10% over the 30 cubic inch.
This is why you can use a dongle several cubic inches past the supply on the roll. I just use some scraps manually loaded.

simple swapping doesn't work.
I don't believe imaging the HDD works either.
you need fresh dongles.

Any movement on this? Does anyone know of a way to refill / reuse material cartridges for the uPrint?